Four were recaptured but three of the men - named last night as Abdesalam Tarik Ben, Abdelhak Morid and Mohammed Aref Hosseini - were still on the run.

The breakout happened five days after a fire at the centre and a rooftop protest by 20 inmates - the fourth major incident there in 16 months.

In March last year nine people were hurt in a disturbance and in August, 26 escaped in a mass break-out. Last December 120 were involved in a riot.

Local LibDem MP Dr Evan Harris demanded an inquiry into the running of the privately-operated facility, which is controlled by security firm GEO.

The MP for Oxford West and Abingdon said: 'It is unacceptable for local residents and for the welfare of staff and detainees alike.

'Lessons have not been learned and it is time for a proper, fully independent investigation.'

Two of those who escaped were found on an A road near to the centre in Kidlington, one riding a bike and the other on foot. They were returned to the centre.

A third man injured his ankles in the escape and had not managed to get as far. He was taken to hospital.

A fourth individual, a Libyan illegal immigrant who has served time in prison here for minor assault and theft, was caught later in the botanical gardens in the centre of Oxford.

Police said the three men still on the run are all illegal immigrants. Although they are not described as dangerous, the public is asked not to approach them but to notify police if they are spotted.

Scroll down for more

Seven immigrants escaped from Campsfield and four are still on the run

Inspector Graham Sutherland, of Thames Valley Police, said that the police and GEO knew how the men had escaped but could not release details.

He added: 'This wasn't a simple walk out. It was more planned and complicated than that.

'Our senior officers are going to be meeting today with senior people at border control agencies and GEO.'

Police threw a cordon around the centre and officers are searching the Oxfordshire countryside.

Mr Sutherland asked residents to keep a look out for dishevelled, disorientated individuals.

The centre holds around 200 failed asylum seekers and foreign prisoners and has been the subject of a long campaign for its closure. It was converted from a Young Offenders Institute in 1993 and GEO, a U.S. company, took it over last June.

The breakout overshadowed the launch of a crackdown on immigration offenders yesterday, with a series of dramatic raids on bent solicitors and bogus colleges.

Share or comment on this article:

Pictured: Three immigrants on the run after breakout from detention centre